#chris shafer

[mrbopst]

I was a teenage Ballsac

GWAR playing at Shafer Court on Halloween night in 1986. Jim Thomson, Ron Curry, Chris Bopst, Tim Harriss, Colette Miller, Dave Brockie.

Photos: Cindy Hicks

[garudabluffs]

"Trumps Criminal Associates from A to Z”

Donald Trump, Melania Trump, Donald Trump Jr., Ivanka Trump, Eric Trump; >>> Greg Abbott, Ali Alexander, Samuel Alito, Rick Allen, Brian Babin, Jim Banks, Steve Bannon, Kathy Barnette, Bill Barr, Tom Barrack, Maria Bartiromo, Glenn Beck, John Bennett, Andy Biggs, Dan Bishop, Christina Bobb, Lauren Boebert, John Bolton, David Bossie, Kevin Brady, Mike Braun, Mo Brooks, Taylor Budowich, Ted Budd, Aileen Cannon, Madison Cawthorn, Tucker Carlson, Matthew Calamari, Kenneth Chesebro, Andrew Clyde, Jeffery Clark, Robert Cheeley, Chris Christie, Chris Collins, Susan Collins, James Comer, Kellyanne Conway, John Cornyn, Thomas Bryant Cotton, Kevin Cramer, Dan Crenshaw, Steven Crowder, Raphael Edward Cruz, Ken Cuccinelli, Warren Davidson, Louis DeJoy, Carlos DeOliveira, Ron DeSantis, Betsy DeVos, Lou Dobbs, Byron Donalds, John Eastman, Larry Elder, Jenna Ellis, Michael Ellis, Tom Emmer, Boris Epshteyn, Julie Jenkins Fancelli, Nigel Farage, Tom Fitton, Harrison Floyd, Michael Flynn, Matt Gaetz, Bob Gibbs, Newt Gingrich, Rudy Giuliani, Louie Gohmert, Sebastian Gorka, Paul Gosar, Trey Gowdy, Lindsey Graham, Charles Grassley, Mark Green, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Ric Grenell, Kimberly Guilfoyle, Alina Habba, Harriet Hageman, Misty Hampton, Liz Harrington, Nikki Haley, Scott Hall, Sean Hannity, Josh Hawley, Jody Hice, Hope Hicks, Thomas Homan, Richard Hudson, Duncan Hunter, Laura Ingraham, Kay Ivey, Ronny Jackson, Jim Jordan, Mike Johnson, Ron Johnson, Alex Jones, Fred Keller, Keith Kellogg, Mike Kelly, Bernard Kerik, Charlie Kirk, Kim Klacik, Kenneth Klukowski, Jared Kushner, Trevian Kutti, Tomi Lahren, Kari Lake, Cathleen Latham, Bill Lee, Mike Lee, Stephen Lee, Mark Levin, Corey Lewandowski, Christopher Liddell, Mike Lindell, Billy Long, Barry Loudermilk, Cynthia Lummis, Nick Luna, Nancy Mace, Paul Manafort, Roger Marshall, Thomas Massie, Douglas Mastriano, Angela McCallum, Kevin McCarthy, Mitch McConnell, Ronna Romney McDaniel, Kayleigh McEnany, Johnny McEntee, Mark Meadows, Molly Michael, Chris Miller, Jason Miller, Stephen Miller, Barry Moore, Steven Mnuchin, Rupert Murdoch, Greg Murphy, Heather Nauret, Waltine Torre Nauta Jr., Peter Navarro, Carl Nichols, Kristi Noem, Ralph Norman, Oliver North, Devin Nunes, Bill O’Reilly, Candace Owens, Stefan Passantino, Kash Patel, Dan Patrick, Rand Paul, Ken Paxton, David Perdue, Scott Perry, Rick Perry, Mike Pence, Judge-Jeanine Ferris Pirro, Mike Pompeo, Erik Prince, Vladimir Putin, Sidney Powell, Kim Reynolds, Karrin Taylor Robson, Michael Roman, Chip Roy, Marco Rubio, Anthony Sabatini, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, George Santos, Steve Scalise, Dan Scavino, Rick Scott, Tim Scott, Jeff Sessions, David Shafer, Ben Shapiro, Bill Shine, Kyrsten Lea Sinema, Ray Smith lll, Victoria Spartz, Sean Spicer, Todd Starnes, Elise Stefanik, William Stepien, Shawn Still, Roger Stone, Jason Sullivan, Clarence Thomas, Virginia (Ginni) Thomas, Tommy Tuberville, Mike Turner, James David (JD) Vance, Herschel Walker, Kelli Ward, Jesse Watters, Allen Weisselberg, Matthew George Whitaker, Susan Wiles, Ben Williamson, Chad Wolf, Lin Wood, Todd Young…Just to name a few. “Vote Blue in November: In numbers too big to rig, in numbers too real to steal….

381 Comments https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SY8rIL3xUKc

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

August 24, 2023

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON Today a former U.S. president and the front-runner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination turned himself in to be arrested in Georgia. He had to because a grand jury of ordinary Americans indicted him, along with 18 other defendants, for conspiring to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. For the first time in U.S. history, there is a mugshot of a former president. And, for that matter, mugshots of his chief of staff and key advisors. With noon tomorrow, August 25, the deadline for the defendants to surrender, they have been showing up since Tuesday, when Scott Hall, accused of breaching election equipment in Coffee County, Georgia, became the first of the defendants to surrender. Since then, several of the lawyers behind the election scheme, including John Eastman, Kenneth Chesebro, Sidney Powell, Jenna Ellis, and Rudy Giuliani have surrendered. So have Mark Meadows, Trump’s final chief of staff, and David Shafer, the former chair of the Georgia Republican Party. All but one—Harrison Floyd, the former executive director of Black Voices for Trump, who is charged with harassing election worker Ruby Freeman and who had previously assaulted an FBI agent—have been released on bail. Trump is the first president to be charged with crimes, and he is facing an astonishing 91 counts in four different cases, two at the state level in New York and Georgia, and two at the federal level. In addition, Trump, his two elder sons, and the Trump Organization are also facing an October trial in a civil fraud case in New York City, after which he has a January trial in a defamation suit from writer E. Jean Carroll for denying that he raped her (a judge recently agreed that his sexual assault of her was rape by common understanding, although the narrow definition of rape in the New York penal code meant that a New York jury in May did not find him liable for it). And then there are the criminal charges. In New York he is charged with 34 counts surrounding an alleged hush-money scheme before the 2016 election. He has been charged with 40 counts in the federal case concerning his theft and concealment of national security documents at his organization’s Mar-a-Lago property. In a separate federal case, he is charged with 4 counts of conspiring to defraud the government, obstruct an official proceeding, and take away voters’ right to have their vote counted. In the Georgia case for which he was arrested today, he has been charged with 13 crimes under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) statute of Georgia, a law that permits a group working together for a criminal purpose to be charged as a criminal organization. True to form, Trump appears to have timed his surrender to make the evening news. And then, after he surrendered, he posted his mugshot himself on X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter, telling his supporters “NEVER SURRENDER!” In our system, Trump, like any defendant, is presumed innocent until proven guilty. But here’s the thing: At last night’s Republican primary debate, all the candidates except former New Jersey governor Chris Christie (polling at 3.3%) and former Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson (polling at 0.7%) pledged they would support Trump as the 2024 Republican nominee even if he’s convicted. [MORE]

—

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[parttimereporter]

Big wallets.. small ... err...

Penis fillers are quickly becoming the vogue products for finance Bros..

From INSIDER:

Three to four times a day, Chris Bustamante schedules time to talk to his clients about how they want their penis to look. His midtown Manhattan clinic, Lushful Aesthetics, offers plenty of what Bustamante calls "bread-and-butter" beauty services like facial fillers and chemical peels. Yet the true growth of his business lies in penis filler. In 2024, the procedure accounted for over 40% of Lushful Aesthetic's $3 million revenue. They're not alone. Interest in penis enlargement has been booming. Multiple cosmetic surgeons told Allure in 2023 that penis filler is now their most popular procedure. Dr. David Shafer, a plastic surgeon in New York, told GQ in 2023 that his penis filler clients have grown from one or two a week to four or five a day. He now dedicates an entire floor of his clinic strictly to penis filler services.

[boaringoldguy]

Trump Co-Defendant Wins 3-Month Delay in Georgia Case

A Georgia judge on Thursday granted a co-defendant in the Georgia election case that also ensnared former President Donald Trump a three-month delay in his proceedings.

“All aspects of the case” will be halted for Sen. Shawn Still, a Republican, until April 18 because he’s a member of the Georgia General Assembly, the judge wrote on Thursday. But “provisions, including initial reciprocal discovery obligations, remain in place” for the meantime, the brief order said.

“Additional extensions will only be considered upon filing of a particularized motion containing a detailed, fact-based explanation of the need for the extension including the amount of time needed,” wrote Judge Scott McAfee.

In the case, Mr. Still was charged in Fulton County, Georgia, for stating that President Trump had won the state and declaring themselves the state’s “duly elected and qualified” electors. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Mr. Still was the secretary of that meeting and is one of only three members of that group who was indicted. He faces seven counts, including the main racketeering charge as well as felony counts of impersonating a public officer, forgery, and attempting to file false documents and false statements and writings, all stemming from the elector meeting.

In arguing that his case should be delayed, Mr. Still wrote to the judge that he needs to perform his duties as a member of the state Legislature.

“All other provisions, including initial reciprocal discovery obligations, remain in place,” his filing said. “Additional extensions will only be considered upon filing of a particularized motion containing a detailed, fact-based explanation of the need for the extension, including the amount of time needed.”

He was not in public office in December 2020 when the Republican electors met. He was elected in 2022 and is serving his first term.

Previously, Mr. Still and two other electors who were charged in the case alongside the former president attempted to move their charges to a federal court but were denied in September 2023. A district judge wrote in several rulings that Mr. Still, Cathy Latham, and David Shafer could not assert that they were acting as federal officials during the time that the electors document in late 2020.

Also in September, a three-person Georgia panel didn’t recommend that Mr. Still be temporarily removed from office while the case is pending, Garrison Douglas, a spokesman for Gov. Brian Kemp, said at the time.

As is required by state law, Mr. Kemp appointed Attorney General Chris Carr, as well as Republican state Senate Majority Leader Steve Gooch and Republican state House Majority Leader Chuck Efstration. That group held a closed hearing several months ago to consider whether Mr. Still should be suspended, issuing a confidential recommendation to the Republican governor.

The state constitution requires that the commission recommend and the governor suspend an official if the panel “determines that the indictment relates to and adversely affects the administration of the office of the indicted public official and that the rights and interests of the public are adversely affected thereby.”

Case Derailed?

Mr. Still’s court victory comes as Michael Roman, another co-defendant in the Trump case in Georgia, alleged in bombshell court filings that the chief prosecutor, District Attorney Fani Willis, allegedly engaged in an “improper” relationship with a top prosecutor in the case, Nathan Wade. The filings also accuse Ms. Willis of potentially violating the law when her office allegedly provided more than $650,000 to Mr. Wade’s private law firm and took Ms. Willis on vacations.

The court filing provided few details about the alleged relationship, although neither Mr. Wade nor Ms. Willis have publicly denied the claims. The Epoch Times has contacted both parties for comment.

“Willis and Wade have engaged in a personal relationship both before and after Willis appointed Wade as the special prosecutor in the instant case,” Mr. Roman’s motion stated. “Willis and Wade were romantically involved prior to Willis awarding a contract for legal services with Wade. It is not entirely clear when the relationship began, but it began while Wade was married.”

Pallavi Bailey, a spokeswoman for Ms. Willis, said her office will respond to the claims “through appropriate court filings” in the coming days.

Mr. Wade, meanwhile, was seen at his law office near Atlanta on Thursday and answered at least one question from a New York Post reporter. He was photographed allegedly carrying a pistol in his hand.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Greene (R-Ga.) this week filed a criminal misconduct complaint against Ms. Willis, a Democrat, after the allegation was made against her and Mr. Wade. The new allegations suggest there is an “unlawful partisan pattern” on behalf of Ms. Willis that may “illegally politicize and weaponize her public office” against the former president and the other co-defendants, Ms. Greene wrote.

As of Friday, Ms. Willis has not publicly responded to the Republican congresswoman’s referral.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

From The Epoch Times

[cinematicwonder]

Before We Go (2014)

“Two strangers stuck in Manhattan for the night grow into each other’s most trusted confidants when an evening of unexpected adventure forces them to confront their fears and take control of their lives.“

Chris Evans x Alice Eve

Directed by Chris Evans

Screenplay by Ronald Bass, Jen Smolka, Chris Shafer and Paul Vicknair

Story by Ronald Bass and Jen Smolka

[tingersnfoes]

Watch "I'm Being Sued For Defamation." on YouTube

[graphicpolicy]

Review: League of Legends: Ashe - Warmother

League of Legends: Ashe - Warmother is one for fans of the game #comics #comicbooks #leagueoflegends #ncbd

League of Legends has come to comics courtesy of Marvel. League of Legends: Ashe – Warmother collects the four issue series with lots of extras.

Story: Odin Austin Shafer Art: Nina Vakueva Color: Nina Vakueva, Chris Blythe Letterer: Cardinal Rae, Natalia Nesterenko

Get your copy in comic shops and book stores now! To find a…

[niallodonohoe]

C's Alumni Update - Pearson Fierce In Portland & Murray Makes The Grade In Tampa

C’s Alumni Update – Pearson Fierce In Portland & Murray Makes The Grade In Tampa

Nate Pearson enjoyed a successful debut at the Double-A level Tuesday. They are separated by one level and about 10 miles per hour on their fastballs but former Vancouver Canadians pitchers Nate Pearson and Joey Murray dominated in their next-level debuts Tuesday. Pearson sat down the first 10 hitters he faced before former major leaguer Cody Asche singled. Pearson would strike out a pair of…

[mr-styles]

Harry Styles’ “Adore You” Is Everything a Music Video Should Be (Including Underappreciated by The VMAs)

On November 18, 2019, a website promoting a mysterious place called Eroda (“No Land Quite Like It”) arrived on the internet. Two days later, the official Twitter account for this fictional frown-shaped island began teasing local seaside attractions. You may have missed it, depending on which corners of the internet you choose to lurk, but not if you were a Harry Styles fan, a group that went into pure overdrive trying to figure out what it all meant.

[...] Ultimately, “Adore You” does everything a music video should do. In nearly eight minutes, this video uses excellent visual effects in a cool and interesting way, tells a compelling and heartfelt story, is anchored by an irresistible leading man and an adorable sidekick, is backed up by the catchiest song you could ever dream of, and culminates with a touching and hopeful ending. It’s a treat for the eyes and the ears and the soul. It’s innovative and the kind of thing that begs you to watch it more than once to catch all the details (and yes, I do tear up every time).

But I reached out to Meyers to specifically ask about the intricate details of “Adore You” and how it all came to be; how he captured such a vibe with the overcast and dreary weather, mixed so wonderfully with the charming oddities of the people that make up this world of Eroda. In addition to directing the video, he also co-wrote the story with Chris Shafer and said, “It’s the first idea that popped to mind after the first listen to the song, and the first idea I pitched to Harry. It was a story that underscored my understanding of what Harry stood for and felt it was necessary to tell it as a narrative to convey his optimism.”

[Read More]

[kingstylesdaily]

Harry Styles’ “Adore You” Is Everything a Music Video Should Be (Including Underappreciated by The VMAs)

KSD NOTE: there is a mention of suicide in regards to the beginning of Adore You.

On November 18, 2019, a website promoting a mysterious place called Eroda (“No Land Quite Like It”) arrived on the internet. Two days later, the official Twitter account for this fictional frown-shaped island began teasing local seaside attractions. You may have missed it, depending on which corners of the internet you choose to lurk, but not if you were a Harry Styles fan, a group that went into pure overdrive trying to figure out what it all meant.

I, for one, missed it at the time. I was unaware this account was cryptically quote tweeting fans as they tried to piece together what was happening, what it meant, and what it could be connected to (Greek Mythology and Lost were a couple of theories posed in comments, Twitter threads, and Reddit). Meanwhile, the Columbia Records marketing department had been hard at work for months, devising this specific and highly-detailed campaign around the music video for Styles’ second single, “Adore You” from his second solo album, Fine Line, ever since he shot the video in Scotland in August 2019 (Eroda = Adore backwards — clever!).

But it was all leading up to the morning of Friday, December 6 when the video was released, one week before the full-length album arrived. Up until that point, I had never seen an entire Harry Styles music video, but what happened next was inevitable. Somehow, as a self-proclaimed boy band scholar, I had never paid much attention to One Direction. I kept a distant eye on Styles since they disbanded, intrigued by the decisions he was making in his solo career. But I hadn’t yet realized I’d been in the ring all throughout the fall of 2019, fighting to resist the inevitable fascination that awaited. First came the jab of Rob Sheffield’s Rolling Stone profile, followed by the cross of “Lights Up”, a song that cracked my Top 20 most listened to songs of the year despite being released just two months before Spotify so thoughtfully compiled that personalized playlist. Then there was the hook of his SNL hosting stint in November (and bless you Bowen Yang for that Sara Lee sketch), which then leads us to the “Adore You” video, the uppercut and ultimate TKO. I surrendered in what felt like a near instant. I was now a Harry Styles fan. (If we’re following this analogy, I sat up to spit out some blood after seeing that cover of “Juice” before my head quickly hit the mat again with a loud thud).

Maybe it’s not quite remarkable that I took time out of a Friday morning to watch a music video, but that I sat at my desk, in an office, with other people around (back when we did those kinds of things) and proceeded to wipe away a few tiny tears from under my eyes by the end of it, was an experience I had not been through… maybe ever? In a world of lyric videos and TikToks, actual, thoughtful, impactful music videos with a full (and sweet!) story are about as rare as a glowing and growing fish these days.

Ultimately, “Adore You” does everything a music video should do. In nearly eight minutes, this video uses excellent visual effects in a cool and interesting way, tells a compelling and heartfelt story, is anchored by an irresistible leading man and an adorable sidekick, is backed up by the catchiest song you could ever dream of, and culminates with a touching and hopeful ending. It’s a treat for the eyes and the ears and the soul. It’s innovative and the kind of thing that begs you to watch it more than once to catch all the details (and yes, I do tear up every time).

So one would think that an award show with the specific purpose of celebrating this type of creativity would be extra sure to nominate such a charming and effective clip, but alas, “Adore You” was overlooked in the MTV Video Music Awards main categories this year. Of course, some could argue that that fact only adds to the video’s credibility but I’ll do my best to not be that petty as I’m still rooting for it to win in the three technical categories where it picked up nominations: Best Visual Effects by Mathematic, Best Art Direction by Laura Ellis Cricks, and Best Direction by Dave Meyers, who remains one of the most inventive and influential directors of all time and whose videos with artists such as Missy Elliot, Pink, and Kendrick Lamar have been racking up nominations for nearly 20 years now. He also saw four other videos he directed get recognized this year: Normani’s “Motivation” (Best Chorography), Travis Scott’s “Highest in the Room” (Best Hop Hop and Best Visual Effects), Anderson .Paak’s “Lockdown” (Video For Good), and Camila Cabello feat. DaBaby’s “My Oh My” (Best Cinematography).

But I reached out to Meyers to specifically ask about the intricate details of “Adore You” and how it all came to be; how he captured such a vibe with the overcast and dreary weather, mixed so wonderfully with the charming oddities of the people that make up this world of Eroda. In addition to directing the video, he also co-wrote the story with Chris Shafer and said, “It’s the first idea that popped to mind after the first listen to the song, and the first idea I pitched to Harry. It was a story that underscored my understanding of what Harry stood for and felt it was necessary to tell it as a narrative to convey his optimism.”

The extended version of the video starts with a two-and-a-half-minute introduction to the world of Eroda, narrated by Rosalia. This includes the “peculiar” people and their professions on the island, meeting The Boy (Styles) and his glowing smile that most people try to avoid, and the quirky superstitions these people continue to live by. “It all served a purpose,” Meyers said of the details. “The superstitions were a set up for how society generally reacts to different things. They fear change or oddity, even if it’s what’s best for them.”

Meyers, however, did not share in that fear, as much of this video provided for interesting and new opportunities he had yet to experience throughout his decades-long career, which he listed off: ”Compelling narrative, CG character, remote location, Scottish crew (nothing phased them),” also noting that all of the other characters in the video were locals as well. So perhaps they were less fazed by the atmosphere across the four-day shoot in Scotland, but as Meyers recalled, the “weather was nuts. It rained every 20 minutes, then the sun, then cloud over.”

However, it’s likely that Mother Nature is also a Styles fan, as Meyers recalled, “I seem to remember going up on the hill for Harry’s picnic with the fish and being worried that it was so gloomy. By the time we came to shoot, the sun came out. And then the sun went away as soon as the scene was over. Similarly, we had the worst storm when Harry was contemplating suicide at the start. Pouring rain, drenching him. So I guess in that sense it was fun watching how Scotland provided a backdrop for the emotions we were after.”

And hey, at least they had the weather on their side to add to the mood while shooting the video, as one of their main characters, well, didn’t exist. “It was very odd shooting with no fish,” Meyers admitted. “But was quite rewarding later seeing it dropped in and making empathic sense to the story we were after.”

Of course, the main character they did have on hand is an awfully useful and appealing one at that. Fans became enamored with the moment Styles uses the back of his hand to check the temperature of a coffee pot before dumping the fish inside the water so it could stay alive. I asked Meyers about this particular moment and he said, “The problem we had was apparent when Harry ran in and threw the fish in the pot. We all sorta felt — well, what if it was hot? So I believe Harry improvised that as a solution and we felt it was perfect for the character’s sensitivity and consideration for this poor fish.” And that’s not the only nice thing he does for his fish friend — he also serves him a tiny taco! “The taco was a whimsical way to express friendship between Harry and the fish,” Meyers offered. It looked pretty tasty, too.

The entire video serves as a showcase for what Styles does best and what makes him such a unique artist: his music, his acting, and his charisma, which Meyers knew would offer him a lot to work with. “Harry is a leading man. I felt that from my first meeting and wanted to play with his wonderful range of emotions. So finding a story with a real character arc was part of my focus in building this world.” Meyers described working on “Adore You” as an “all-around memorable shoot: awesome location, lovely Harry, compelling story, great effects, and… it worked.”

It did. And it was a risk: a video this complex and detailed (and one has to assume, costly), attached to a marketing campaign that proved to be even more involved, still came with no guarantee that the fans wouldn’t shrug it off. But as Manos Xanthogeorgis, SVP of Digital Marketing & Media at Columbia Records told Billboard last year, “When you have a video and a piece of art at such a level, it’s an incredible challenge for the rest of the team to build a campaign at that same level of artistry and creativity.” Oh, and that was only step one, as the marketing team engaged in “real-time marketing” with fans online, ensuring they would continue to remain engaged by dropping clues and clips in the lead-up to the video premiere and subsequently the album. “This whole campaign was around mystery and sometimes mystery is more powerful than knowledge,” Xanthogeorgis said. The Twitter handle has remained active throughout 2020, used as a continual marketing tool for Styles’ next videos including the Meyers-directed “Falling” and this summer’s hit, “Watermelon Sugar.”

With that kind of fan engagement, “Adore You” seemed like a no-brainer for the fan-voted categories of the VMAs this year, as they surely would’ve turned out to vote just as feverishly for this video as they did when searching for clues (about a made-up island, at that!). But hey, maybe MTV was just not interested in massive fan engagement this year — after all, it’s not like everything Styles does, including growing freakin’ facial hair, has the internet in a tizzy for weeks. Ultimately, as the impact of music videos (and certainly the ceremony celebrating them) continues to lose relevance, the disregard of this specific project simply feels like a missed opportunity to acknowledge a rare achievement in the art form.

While Meyers was sure to describe his inclusion in the VMA nominations this year as “lovely and flattering” (and he better have a moonperson in his possession this time next week, MTV!) it’s still puzzling why “Adore You” wouldn’t be included in the big categories, considering Styles is squarely within their demo, at the very least. That “Adore You” is also a technical and storytelling masterpiece, as well as a full moment that was used as inspiration both for the experience online and in-person at the Fine Line Spotify listening party last December, that also comes packed with one of the most enthusiastic groups of fans around, well, that should have had the entire network drooling.

Of course, some of this can simply be chalked up to a perfect storm. As far as his singles go, “Lights Up” was a nice appetizer, but “Adore You” remains the delicious entree (you already know what’s for dessert). “Adore You” is a perfect pop record if I’ve ever heard one (and I have) and deserved a special video. A Chris Isaak “Wicked Game” sexy vibe wasn’t going to work here. The song tells the story of such passionate, pure, and heartachingly naive and innocent love that it almost had to be directed toward a non-human being. Instead, Styles chose to inject those same carefree, sweaty, sticky, delicious, whimsical beach vibes into the “Watermelon Sugar” clip, which was the right choice, and not just for the summertime season (MTV has since added the Song of Summer category to the VMAs and included “Watermelon Sugar”).

But it’s “Adore You” that has melodies that bring a smile to the faces of babies, get your toes tapping even when you hear it in the dentist’s chair, and likely has my neighbors rolling their eyes when I sing along to it in the shower. The song is so simple it’s deep, a theme reflected in the video, as is the central reminder to help and care for others, a thoroughly 2020 message.

However, not all is lost. Both “Adore You” and “Watermelon Sugar” continue to rack up major spins at radio with the latter hitting number one on the Billboard charts earlier this month. Grammy voting kicks off at the end of September and Academy members should take note. Not only is Fine Line more than worthy of being acknowledged, but having Styles on hand to potentially collect trophies and perform is in your best interest when it comes to viewers and online chatter. Do not wait to take him seriously. This is the album, this is the time. Prove that you aren’t a bunch of stodgy old white men who think he’s just for teen (and um, thirty-something) girls, but that you understand the music he enjoys, is inspired by, and subsequently makes, is the same rock music you appreciate as well. An artist like Styles can be both of those things at the same time, and really, the best of both worlds. Give the album a listen, and then one more to let it all sink in. If you have not yet succumbed to the force that is Harry Styles fandom, I truly can’t recommend it enough — and please know that it will get you eventually.

Source: Decider.com

[strangenewfriends]

I reached out to Meyers to specifically ask about the intricate details of “Adore You” and how it all came to be; how he captured such a vibe with the overcast and dreary weather, mixed so wonderfully with the charming oddities of the people that make up this world of Eroda. In addition to directing the video, he also co-wrote the story with Chris Shafer and said, “It’s the first idea that popped to mind after the first listen to the song, and the first idea I pitched to Harry. It was a story that underscored my understanding of what Harry stood for and felt it was necessary to tell it as a narrative to convey his optimism.”

Dave Meyers in Harry Styles’ “Adore You” Is Everything a Music Video Should Be (Including Underappreciated by The VMAs) || Decider

[stoopsmagazine]

Stoops Issue 7 - Out Now!

Today I get to present to you, the double cover of Stoops Issue 7! I am really excited about this one. Mason Silva - Double Bar Ollie. Montebello, CA. 2020. (P) Anthony Acosta. When Acosta sent me both versions of this photo, I couldn’t tell which one I liked better. The fisheye is gnarly, but the long lens really shows scale. So I ended up using both! The long lens wraps around to the back cover, with the fisheye sitting pretty up front. We went back to our old printer and the quality is perfect.

If you are in the L.A. area, don’t forget to come by JKwon this Sunday 3/7/21 from 12-4 for our release. We have some gear from our sponsors to give out for best tricks, so come get tech or creative. You can scroll back a couple posts for the flyer.

I’ve updated our Retailers link with all the new shops that ordered Issue 7, but if there isn’t shop near you carrying Stoops, you can...

Order Now!

As a reminder, Issue 7 includes the following:

Articles: Koreatown (LA) Guide, In Brief: Brian Reid, In Brief: Haley Isaak, Not An Elijah Berle Interview, The Dominick Walker Interview, One-Offs.

Photographers: Anthony Acosta, Nobuo Iseki, Reece Leung, Kenji Haruta, Fabien Ponsero, Darnell Scott, Matt Fookes, Liam Annis, Mike Heikkila, Eby Ghafarian, Rafael Gonzalez, Jeff Comber, Cole Giordano, Clement Harpillard, Mac Shafer, Tadashi Yamaoda, Nick Hatt, Bradford Bishop.

Skaters: Mason Silva, Louie Lopez, Elijah Berle, Dominick Walker, Brian Reid, Haley Isaak, Tiago Lemos, Jahmir Brown, Flo Mirtain, Chris Pfanner, Lizzie Armanto, Dead Dave, Taylor Kirby, Max Murphy, Brett Weinstein, Brett Sube, Jiri Bulin, Taihou Tokura, Rafael Moreno Jr., Jeff Srnec, Leo Takayama, Elijah Akerley, Jerry Mraz, Zane Crowther, Johnny Matarazzo, Yannes Van Den Brande, Nisse Ingemarsson, Yuma Takei, Matt Birt, Grady Smith, Cole Dixon, Keyaki Ike, Justin Basset, Lurker Lou, Jonnosuke Okada, Josue Watts.

Writer: Bianca Sia

[1dhomeroom]

So much fun My Visit Eroda.

Directed by Dave Meyers

Written by Chris Shafer & Dave Meyers

Starring Harry Styles

Narration by Rosalía

Score by Kid Harpoon

Produced by Nathan Scherrer

Line Produced by Jo Coombes, Ellen De Faux, & Tom Gardner

Cinematographer Scott Cunningham

Production Designer Laura Ellis Cricks

Mr. Styles Styling by Harry Lambert

Cast Styling by Verity May Lane

Edited by Alyssa Oh

Telecine Stefan Sonnenfeld

VEX by Mathematic

Sound Design Chris Afzal at Wave Studios

Post Produced by Adam Parker & Nathan Scherrer

Video Commissioner Bryan Younce

A Freenjoy Production

Full Stop Management

Columbia Records

Content Creative

Thanks: Audri Kenley

LS Productions

Somesuch

Entire cast and crew

https://youtu.be/yezDEWako8U

[twins2994]

Jays Rally Late To Beat Twins.

Twins 8 Blue Jays 9 W-Shafer (1-0) L-Eades (1-1) SV-Watts (1)

The Minnesota Twins made the trip way up to Dunedin to play the Toronto Blue Jays this afternoon. The ball was flying out of the ballpark on a cloudy afternoon in Florida. Michael Reed started the day off right with a lead-off single to left in the first inning. Ronald Torreyes followed with a single of his own. With two outs, a passed ball scored Michael Reed and the Twins were on the board. The Jays would answer in the bottom of the first. Randal Grichuk drilled a Preston Guilmet offering out to left for a lead-off blast. This tied the game at one after one inning of play. The Twins offense got back to work in the second. Ehire Adrianza led-off with a single and Lucas Duda walked. Later in the inning, Alex Kiriloff singled home a run and Michael Reed hit a sac fly to right. This put the Twins up 3-1 and they were at it again in the third. Jake Cave led-off the inning with a single and Mitch Garver doubled him home. Minnesota had a three-run lead then things fell apart in the bottom of the third. Dalton Pompey led-off with a single and Luke Maile walked. Randal Grichuk reached on a fielder’s choice to load up the bases. Fernando Romero then walked in two more runs and Austin Adams came on to pitch. Adams walked Justin Smoak to plate another run and the game was tied at four. Cavan Biggo followed with a two-run single to center and the Jays led 6-4. The Twins would rally in the fifth as Mitch Garver singled with two outs. Ehire Adrianza followed with a blast off Conor Fisk. The two-run homer tied the game at six after five frames. The Twins would regain the lead in the seventh. Tyler Austin smoked a Ryan Tepera offering out to center for a solo homer. The Twins were on top and kept the chain moving in the seventh. Mitch Garver doubled and Ehire Adrianza walked. With one out, Adam Rosales grounded into a fielder’s choice. That scored pinch-runner Brian Navaretto and the Twins were up 8-6. The Blue Jays would come right back in the bottom of the inning. Anthony Alford walked with one out and Richard Urena singled. Cal Stevenson hit a sac fly to left and Luke Maile singled. Brock Lundquist doubled home a run to tie the game at eight. Toronto would rally in the eighth inning. Rowdy Tellez walked up to the plate with one out and drilled a Ryan Eades fastball out to right for a solo homer. The Jays now had a one-run lead as we headed into the ninth inning. Justin Watts threw a clean ninth and the Jays outlasted the Twins in a long one in Dunedin.

-Final Thoughts- Preston Guilmet gave up a run and struck out two in one inning of work. Tim Collins struck out two in the second. Fernando Romero did not register an out and allowed five runs. Austin Adams walked two and struck out two in an inning of work. DJ Baxendale retired four of the six men he faced. Adalberto Mejia fanned two in one inning of work. Mike Morin was charged with two runs in 1 2/3 innings and Ryan Eades gave up a run in the eighth. Mitch Garver and Alex Kirlioff led the team with three hits on the day. Ehire Adrianza had two hits as well. The Twins hit 2-for-17 with runners in scoring position and left nine men on base. Tomorrow, the Red Sox come to Hammond Stadium. Nathan Eovaldi will face Jose Berrios in a pitching rematch from last Wednesday.

-Chris Kreibich-